IRISH GARDENING. 



39 



Roses. 



M.D. 



an article a few num- 

 bers back I treated the 

 subject of Hjbriil Teas, 

 1 pointed out the o;reat 

 \ .ihie of this practically 

 new class, but had it 

 not been the lot of the 

 hybridizer to already 

 possess these lovely 

 roses, we should never 

 have had any H. T.'s. 

 The Tea class sprang^ 

 into existence from two parents which came to 

 US from China— namely, a pink in the year 1810 

 and a yellow in 1824. No one seemed to care very 

 much for them in Eng-land, so they drifted to France, 

 where attempts were made to hybridize or cross breed 

 the one with the other. From this cross arose a great 

 famil}', at first a few, but g-radiially the progeny was 

 enlarged until to-da\" we number amongst our very best 

 and most useful roses some of these grand-children of 

 tliose Chinese parents. For a long time people were 

 very loath to try and grow the.se roses, as report had 

 it that Ihe^- were tender, delicate, poor growers. Some 

 of these assertions are true, but when we weigh the bad 

 with the good qualities we are bound to admit that if 

 we were to entirely eschew the Teas we would miss 

 very many lovely varieties. 



When first I took to Teas to lr\' and grow them I 

 often rued that I had them, as I thought 1 saw a huge 

 failure, but a neighbourly voice over the wall of my 

 garden told me to "bide a wee." When the following 

 autumn came I had to confess he was right, for right 

 there in same bed were flowers glorious in shape — and 

 such quantities ! From that day down I was a convert 

 to the Teas, and now nothing will ever change me back. 

 Taken all round, I think there is more charm to be found 

 in the Teas than any other class, and if we exclude a dark 

 red colour you cannot get such a wealth of colour in 

 any other class .is vou will fitid in this great Tea class. 

 A great point in their favour is that any soil, with \'ery 

 few exceptions, will satisfy them, and so most people 

 who are not favoured with soil required for the Hybrid 

 Perpetuals can enjoy his Teas. Also — and I think this 

 is the greatest point of all in their favour — take a bush 

 of a Tea rose and one of a H. P., and notice how 

 many more flowers the Tea gives in a year, but especially 

 during August and September, a time at which the 

 Hybrid Perpetual is standing still. 



Tea roses are very easy to cultivate provided you 

 choose your site right — a sunn}', wind-sheltered spot 

 suits them admirably, and if you can give them some 

 shade during mid-day so much the better. Planted 

 against low walls this rose family revels in good growth 

 and flowers, and is more at home in such a situation 

 than elsewhere. They should be ordered early, and 

 planted as early as possible. If }'Our soil is a little 

 gritty in character so much the better, for there is an 

 old saying that "Teas like grit." Some people 

 advise a heavy protecting layer of manure spread 



over the bed during wiiUer to protect the roots, but 

 I never do this — indeed, my Teas are given just 

 the same treatment during winter as any other plants 

 I have ; but should very heavy weather come it is 

 advisable to draw a little earth up to and over the 

 lower few inches of growth on dwarf plants as a 

 protection. This should be removed as soon as 

 the frost has gone. During recent years we have 

 had some lovely varieties given lo us, and fore- 

 most amongst these stands Mme. Jules Gravereaux. 

 This is a strong grower, and likes a hot, suimy wall 

 and good dry weather. It is an extra full flower, 

 and contains many shades of colours in it. It is a 

 very fine rose of great lasting properties, and one 

 cannot have loo much of it. It is a curious point to 

 notice that Teas, as a general rule, prefer growing on 

 a half-standard more than they do on a dwarf stock. 

 Whether it is that they do not like being near the soil 

 or that they require purer air is a vexed question, still 

 the fact remains that to get most Teas to perfection you 

 should grow them as half-standards. -Should you want 

 proof of this, just bud a few dwarf and half-standard 

 stocks with Mrs. E. Mawley (in my humble opinion the 

 finest Tea in cultivation), and you will find the standard 

 grows better and throws finer blooms. True, both 

 Manian Cochel antl its white sport do as well as 

 tUvai'fs, but the gener*tl run o( Teas are happier as 

 standards. Some are notoriously tender — t'.g'.i De- 

 voniensis and Cleopatra —but they are lovely varieties. 

 Some do better on a wall, and only give their best 

 colours when grown thus — i'.^-, Comtesse de Nadaillac. 

 Some resent hard pruning, and some must be cut very 

 hard, btU the tendency is to prune this class far too 

 hard. In pruning, therefore, be guided by their growth, 

 and leave strong growers long. They should not be 

 pruned until April, when you will find that frost has 

 done nearly all the pruning required. Do not let the 

 plants get "scrubby" in nature. If you notice this, cut 

 them hard one year and the next year be more lenient. 



Propagation of Hollies from Berriks. — The usual 

 practice is to collect the berries as soon as ripe, mix 

 them with twice their own bulk of sand, then throw the 

 whole into a heap which may be left for twelve months. 

 Finally the mixture, sand and berries, is sown thinly in 

 nursery beds of convenient width with narrow paths 

 between. Two years may elapse before germination 

 takes place, after which the seedlings may remain 

 another two years before transplanting. At the end of 

 this time they are lifted, graded into sizes, and planted 

 in luu-sery lines. For the seed beds a fairly light loam 

 is suitable, and for permanent planting a rich loam is 

 the best, though it is well known that the common 

 hollv will thrive in soils of very varying quality. If only 

 a very small quantity of seeds has to be dealt with, the 

 mixture of sand and berries may be placed in a box 

 and plunged in the ground, lightly covering with soil, 

 stibsequent treatment being the same as advised above. 

 [Answer til a Correspondent. ] J- W ■ B. 



The Ulster Agricultural Society's Horticultural Show 

 will be held at Belfast on Thursday and Friday, the 

 ;>n(.\ and 23rd of July next. 



